I am surprised this is such a big deal there. I pretty much assume every big public building here has them. The county social services building had all the carpet removed from it, and tile installed, because it was easier to battle the persistent infections. I've had a few exterminators tell me to avoid movie theaters like crazy since it is unlikely you'd find one that doesn't have them.

//Cincinnati///I think we have been officially called the bed bug capital of the world

Godscrack:I hate those roaches that wait under the toilet seat waiting for you to sit down.

I haven't experienced that, but once I was sleeping and having a weird dream. In the dream a tiny ball of light was bouncing up my arm. Then, I felt a roach on my face and woke up. I survived. The roach did not.

Another time, I was in a hospital lobby, waiting and reading shiatty magazines when I realized the place had fleas. I hate fleas.

But about the cutest infestation I ever saw was in a hotel room. There were ladybugs all over the place. I don't mind lady bugs. They don't suck blood. They aren't creepy and dirty like roaches. They just crawl and occasionally take short flights and look pretty. Cutest infestation ever!

I was on line at a chain sandwich shop (I'm not saying the name b/c it stopped being part of this chain 2 days after this happened) when I saw a cockroach just strolling across the sandwich preparation area going from the onions towards the stack of rolls. The counterman wiped it away with his hand, then sneezed into his hand, wiped his hand on his apron and returned to the sandwich he was making.

I walked out together with the 2 other people who saw the whole thing.

Perhaps it's true that gross stuff like that happens out of sight every day but when it's right there in front of you it somehow seems worse.

Cormee:I saw a spider come out of some filthy hippy's dreadlocks once, he took a look around, and then went back in. Not much spider stuff going on, I suppose.

I thought you meant the hippy looked around, but then realized you probably meant the spider.

I did see a spider in my kitchen last week. I thought about catching it and releasing it outside for about 500 milliseconds and then decided that it wasn't causing any problems and let it go about its business.

I usually think of spiders as benevolent cohabitants. They provide entertainment for the cat and rid me of other small bugs that bother me even more.

bojon:In line at the store, I saw a cockroach crawl out of some ones coat. Turned around and left.

I use to work at a grocery store that had a frequent drunk that was always in and out buying 40s several times a day. One day as he was handing the cashier some money a roach crawled out of his sleeve and onto the counter.The cashier let out a blood curdling scream and ran off.

gfid:Cormee: I saw a spider come out of some filthy hippy's dreadlocks once, he took a look around, and then went back in. Not much spider stuff going on, I suppose.

I thought you meant the hippy looked around, but then realized you probably meant the spider.

I did see a spider in my kitchen last week. I thought about catching it and releasing it outside for about 500 milliseconds and then decided that it wasn't causing any problems and let it go about its business.

I usually think of spiders as benevolent cohabitants. They provide entertainment for the cat and rid me of other small bugs that bother me even more.

a spider once bit me and Lord J in separate, dressing gown-related incidents. this is little old blighty so no venom, but apparently climate change now means there's several species of spider in the south of Britain that are capable of biting humans

i always pick em up with a glass and piece of paper and put them outside. unless the cat gets to them then they're toast

bojon:In line at the store, I saw a cockroach crawl out of some ones coat. Turned around and left.

It's worse at restaurants. When I was about 18 I ate lunch at a place that later made Fark for grabbing road kill (a deer) from out front and butchering it in the kitchen. The incident I saw was some rice wandering off the plate, because it wasn't rice. Fortunately a health inspector happened to be there investigating them for breaking up frozen chicken by throwing it at the floor. He was happy to help me get a refund for my larva and rice.

Not as bad, but at a bar in Old Town Portland I had a cockroach run across my table, and almost killed it with my glass. Several of the regulars yelled at me for threatening Norm.

AlwaysRightBoy:I work on the mid-twenties in a midtown office building and we squash the roaches all the time. Wake up sheepeoples, It's just a matter of time!!

While renovating "apartments" in Detroit a few months back, the project manager told us not to step on any cockroaches we might see, because the eggs can stick in your shoe treads and you'll take them home with you. /Why yes, they do have granite countertops in the Highland Park projects/

Ugh. Little f*ckers were taking over in the city I used to live in. Some of my friends used to party at a house that had them. I told them they were gonna bring some home to their place but being ultra geniuses they knew better. Of course they eventually got them in their pad. Fortunately I had moved far far away so they didn't transport them over to my house.

It's amazing really that I didn't have any real infestations in that place considering the neighborhood. I'd get the occasional lumbering Chinese cockroach (really BIG and really slow/stupid cockroaches that are easy to get rid of) and the mice were kind of bad but they were just using my apartment as a highway to the next buildings (as were the roaches).

gfid:Godscrack: I hate those roaches that wait under the toilet seat waiting for you to sit down.

I haven't experienced that, but once I was sleeping and having a weird dream. In the dream a tiny ball of light was bouncing up my arm. Then, I felt a roach on my face and woke up. I survived. The roach did not.

Another time, I was in a hospital lobby, waiting and reading shiatty magazines when I realized the place had fleas. I hate fleas.

But about the cutest infestation I ever saw was in a hotel room. There were ladybugs all over the place. I don't mind lady bugs. They don't suck blood. They aren't creepy and dirty like roaches. They just crawl and occasionally take short flights and look pretty. Cutest infestation ever!

Not quiteMy apartment is infested with koala bears. Its the cutest infestation ever. Much better than cockroaches. I turn the lights on and a bunch of koala bears scatter. I'm like, hey, hold on fellas! Lemme hold one of you, and feed you a leaf. Koalas, they're so farking cute, why do they gotta be so far away from me. They should ship a few over, and I will apprehend one...and hold him...and pet him on the back of his head.

In college, one of my dorm mates was the biggest slob on the planet. He had no manners, no hygiene regiment, and did not think twice to cook a frigging pot roast in one of those "over-under" broilers and just leave the mess for days. Dirty dishes, glasses, forks, knives, spoons, cooking pieces, etc... all left open and exposed for days on end in a 12 X 10 dorm room. I awoke one night to a cockroach crawling across my face and damn near woke up the entire floor trying to kill it with my crutches. (Did I mention I had just gotten foot surgery?) The next morning I told my roommate that if he valued anything in the room, it had better be long gone come the weekend as I was going to bug-bomb the place and clean it all up. So on Friday evening he was long gone and I proceeded to set off three of those bug bombs you typically use in much larger rooms (like a whole house) and walked away. Several hours later, I returned and then took two tubes of clear silicon sealant and sealed every frigging hole, crack, and crevice I could find in the room. I sealed the light switch, AC unit, shelving units, the entire floor line, behind the metal desks, under the windows, and anything else I could find. That solved my bug problem and my roommate left at the end of the semester to another room and flunked out the semester after that. What a putz.

susler:I was on line at a chain sandwich shop (I'm not saying the name b/c it stopped being part of this chain 2 days after this happened) when I saw a cockroach just strolling across the sandwich preparation area going from the onions towards the stack of rolls. The counterman wiped it away with his hand, then sneezed into his hand, wiped his hand on his apron and returned to the sandwich he was making.

I walked out together with the 2 other people who saw the whole thing.

Perhaps it's true that gross stuff like that happens out of sight every day but when it's right there in front of you it somehow seems worse.

If they're not afraid to show you that, it just makes you wonder what you're not seeing in back. Whereas if everything the customers can see is spotless, you'll tend to assume they take the same care in the food prep areas.

In college, one of my dorm mates was the biggest slob on the planet. He had no manners, no hygiene regiment, and did not think twice to cook a frigging pot roast in one of those "over-under" broilers and just leave the mess for days. Dirty dishes, glasses, forks, knives, spoons, cooking pieces, etc... all left open and exposed for days on end in a 12 X 10 dorm room. I awoke one night to a cockroach crawling across my face and damn near woke up the entire floor trying to kill it with my crutches. (Did I mention I had just gotten foot surgery?) The next morning I told my roommate that if he valued anything in the room, it had better be long gone come the weekend as I was going to bug-bomb the place and clean it all up. So on Friday evening he was long gone and I proceeded to set off three of those bug bombs you typically use in much larger rooms (like a whole house) and walked away. Several hours later, I returned and then took two tubes of clear silicon sealant and sealed every frigging hole, crack, and crevice I could find in the room. I sealed the light switch, AC unit, shelving units, the entire floor line, behind the metal desks, under the windows, and anything else I could find. That solved my bug problem and my roommate left at the end of the semester to another room and flunked out the semester after that. What a putz.

Could have been worse. When I worked 911 we'd get a call on midnight shift around once a month where a cockroach would crawl into someone's ear and get stuck while the person was sleeping. People screamed worse for that than people who'd been shot or stabbed, and it makes sense. Imagine six tiny barbed legs scratching against your auditory nerves.

In college, one of my dorm mates was the biggest slob on the planet. He had no manners, no hygiene regiment, and did not think twice to cook a frigging pot roast in one of those "over-under" broilers and just leave the mess for days. Dirty dishes, glasses, forks, knives, spoons, cooking pieces, etc... all left open and exposed for days on end in a 12 X 10 dorm room. I awoke one night to a cockroach crawling across my face and damn near woke up the entire floor trying to kill it with my crutches. (Did I mention I had just gotten foot surgery?) The next morning I told my roommate that if he valued anything in the room, it had better be long gone come the weekend as I was going to bug-bomb the place and clean it all up. So on Friday evening he was long gone and I proceeded to set off three of those bug bombs you typically use in much larger rooms (like a whole house) and walked away. Several hours later, I returned and then took two tubes of clear silicon sealant and sealed every frigging hole, crack, and crevice I could find in the room. I sealed the light switch, AC unit, shelving units, the entire floor line, behind the metal desks, under the windows, and anything else I could find. That solved my bug problem and my roommate left at the end of the semester to another room and flunked out the semester after that. What a putz.

Could have been worse. When I worked 911 we'd get a call on midnight shift around once a month where a cockroach would crawl into someone's ear and get stuck while the person was sleeping. People screamed worse for that than people who'd been shot or stabbed, and it makes sense. Imagine six tiny barbed legs scratching against your auditory nerves.

gfid:Godscrack: I hate those roaches that wait under the toilet seat waiting for you to sit down.

I haven't experienced that, but once I was sleeping and having a weird dream. In the dream a tiny ball of light was bouncing up my arm. Then, I felt a roach on my face and woke up. I survived. The roach did not.

Another time, I was in a hospital lobby, waiting and reading shiatty magazines when I realized the place had fleas. I hate fleas.

But about the cutest infestation I ever saw was in a hotel room. There were ladybugs all over the place. I don't mind lady bugs. They don't suck blood. They aren't creepy and dirty like roaches. They just crawl and occasionally take short flights and look pretty. Cutest infestation ever!

I lived in a crappy apartment a few years ago. Came home one day and thought there was a ladybug infestation and I was like "aw! Cute! Sorta."

gfid:Godscrack: I hate those roaches that wait under the toilet seat waiting for you to sit down.

I haven't experienced that, but once I was sleeping and having a weird dream. In the dream a tiny ball of light was bouncing up my arm. Then, I felt a roach on my face and woke up. I survived. The roach did not.

Another time, I was in a hospital lobby, waiting and reading shiatty magazines when I realized the place had fleas. I hate fleas.

But about the cutest infestation I ever saw was in a hotel room. There were ladybugs all over the place. I don't mind lady bugs. They don't suck blood. They aren't creepy and dirty like roaches. They just crawl and occasionally take short flights and look pretty. Cutest infestation ever!

For everyone who shares this opinion: DO NOT CRUSH LADYBUGS!

I assume here you're talking about the yellow/orangeish ladybugs, not the red ones. The former are actually Japanese beetles and they are known for infesting homes as the temperature cools. They seek out the warmer spaces and tend to flood the space between screens and windows and just force themselves through any cracks to get to heat. If you smash one or two, you might notice a slight smell for a moment but trying to kill a mass of them will render the room uninhabitable. Use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to suck them up (you can even suck them out of the air, which is kind of fun) but be sure to empty the vacuum outside right away. Remember how they got in? They'll get out of the vacuum too.

As far as I know, the traditional red ladybug is not attracted to homes. They are more useful for pest control in gardens and even some farms from what I've heard from farmer friends, if they were nesting you wouldn't be able to buy 20 lb bags of them at Ace.

Ive hag bug problems since I bought my place, nothing too big, ants, silverfish and spiders. I dont mind the spiders so much but the worst I had were fleas. Drove me effing nuts. When my roomate moved back in she brough her cat which had been born into a pet hoarder house and she lived in the woods with her then BF and the cat had free roam of the woods. I tried every spray and powder, even got the damn cat a flea collar and used the drops on him. It really just seem to hold them at bay. I would get home and after I got out of my work clothes I would spray off on my arms and legs. My breaking point came when I was at work one day and my foot was itchy. When I got home and took off my shoe my sock was covered in dozens of flea corpses. I flipped out at my roomate told her to get that farking cat taken care of that weekend becauseI was going to bomb the farking house into the stone age. Come the weekend her and the cat were gone and I set the bombs off. I set 4 off, one in each bedroom, 1 in the kitchen and 1 in the living room. She came back the next day and havent had issues since then. Coulda killed her when she said htey must have gotten in through the windows riiiiiiiiiiiight.

Jack's Smirking Revenge:Could have been worse. When I worked 911 we'd get a call on midnight shift around once a month where a cockroach would crawl into someone's ear and get stuck while the person was sleeping. Imagine six tiny barbed legs scratching against your auditory nerves.

I imagine a small roach imbedded in either ear, playing my eardrum like a pair of Cello.

CSB: A co-worker at my husband's job mentioned to another co-worker that she had bedbugs at home and was in the process of getting rid of them. The other co-worker was so freaked out, she told her boss. Next thing she knew, HR told the woman who had the bedbugs that she wasn't allowed to come back to work until she had a receipt from an exterminator.

Not sure of the legality of that but the woman did it. Even paid for a bedbug-sniffing dog afterwards to make sure they were gone.

In college, one of my dorm mates was the biggest slob on the planet. He had no manners, no hygiene regiment, and did not think twice to cook a frigging pot roast in one of those "over-under" broilers and just leave the mess for days. Dirty dishes, glasses, forks, knives, spoons, cooking pieces, etc... all left open and exposed for days on end in a 12 X 10 dorm room. I awoke one night to a cockroach crawling across my face and damn near woke up the entire floor trying to kill it with my crutches. (Did I mention I had just gotten foot surgery?) The next morning I told my roommate that if he valued anything in the room, it had better be long gone come the weekend as I was going to bug-bomb the place and clean it all up. So on Friday evening he was long gone and I proceeded to set off three of those bug bombs you typically use in much larger rooms (like a whole house) and walked away. Several hours later, I returned and then took two tubes of clear silicon sealant and sealed every frigging hole, crack, and crevice I could find in the room. I sealed the light switch, AC unit, shelving units, the entire floor line, behind the metal desks, under the windows, and anything else I could find. That solved my bug problem and my roommate left at the end of the semester to another room and flunked out the semester after that. What a putz.

My girlfrield in college was a germophobe. I really didn't care because I agree with what you did above. One day she siliconed every crack in the house and decided all of our paper belongings needed to be laminated. All the magazines went in the trash and everything else, including bills, receipts, you name it, was laminated. Took her months. She didn't laminate her vagina though and I was thankful, because that vagina was crazy special. After she moved to West Texas she created the school district's paperless education system and later lost that job when she got caught banging some of her male students. I miss her.

whiterrabbit:Jack's Smirking Revenge:Could have been worse. When I worked 911 we'd get a call on midnight shift around once a month where a cockroach would crawl into someone's ear and get stuck while the person was sleeping. Imagine six tiny barbed legs scratching against your auditory nerves.

I imagine a small roach imbedded in either ear, playing my eardrum like a pair of Cello.

/ I have no idea how to pluralize cello...

I know someone who suffered this fate. Was told by some emergency person to pour olive oil in her ear and turn that ear toward the ground.